Mail box



July 4, 1939. s. o. FLORENCE v 2,164,855 MA-IL BOX I Filed Aug. 38,1937 2. Sheets-Sheet 1:

3, a ...1 g nvanior M Jig,

.July 4, 1939. I s. d. FLORENCE MAIL BOX Filed Aug. 28, 1957 Fz'y. 2.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 4, 1939 UNITED STATS ATENT OFFICE Florence Manufacturing Company,

Chicago,

111., a corporation of Illinois Application August 28,

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in mail boxes of the plural compartment type. One object is to provide a mail box that is compact in assembly, strong and durable, though light in weight and inexpensive to manufacture. A further object is to provide a mail box of neat ap pearance that is pry-proof or so constructed that its looks are shielded against tampering by unauthorized persons thus insuring the safety at all times of the box contents.

A further object is to provide a mail box having a master door and compartment or tenant doors so assembled that they are close fitting and free from crevices and spaces or interstices such as might otherwise provide means for the insertion of a jimmy or other tool to damage the box or the locks thereof and aiiord illegal entry.

- A still further object is to provide a mail box wherein the doors and box frame are so constructed and assembled as to provide a neat, smooth interfitting assembly that presents an exterior inaccessible to pilferers, the parts being braced against each other in open or closed position to afford maximum strength.

With the foregoing and. other objects in view the invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter fully described, pointed out in the claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part of this application for patent and in which- Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of the box, closed.

Fig. 2 is a view of the mail box partly in front elevation and. partly in section.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view, enlarged, taken on the line 33-3 of Fig. 1, the open position of the master door and of one individual tenant door being denoted in dotted lines.

Fig. 4E is a view in side elevation of one partition.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view, enlarged, taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a view of Fig. 5 in front elevation.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view, enlarged, through Fig. 3 on the line l'l thereof.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary view of Fig. 3, the dotted lines being omitted.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary end View of the master door. 50 Fig. 10 is a fragmentary plan view of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary view, taken from inside the mail box, of the hinge connection between the master and compartment doors.

Like reference characters denote corresponding 55 parts through the several views.

1937, Serial No. 161,487

The box body is preferably oblong in shape, substantially trough-shaped in cross section and includes the back i and side walls 2 preferably in one piece. Riveted, soldered or otherwise secured to the back and side walls are the top 3, formed with the lockbolt perforation 3a, and bottom 4 each having flanges 5 disposed against said back and sides. The front or face frame of the box is composed of the side strips 6, top strip 1 and bottom strip 8, either integral or formed of two or more pieces, each of said strips being formed with an inwardly disposed flange G positioned flat against the Walls of the box.

Spaced inwardly from the side walls and similarly spaced from each other are a plurality, two or more, of partitions ID of counterpart formation, each being of a depth substantially the same as the box and of a length equal to the space between the top and bottom walls so that they are snugly received therebetween. Each partition is formed along its top, rear and bottom edges with a plurality of lugs ll adapted to extend through perforations in the top, back and bottom walls of the box and then crimped firmly into engagement with said Walls to form anchoring means for the partitions to positively retain them in position. Each partition is formed, further, along its top edge with a recessed portion i2 extending rearwardly from the front edge almost to the first lug ii. The forward or free edge of each partition from its top end down- Wardly to a shoulder it formed by a forward edge recess I4 is rolled or turned inwardly upon itself as at it to provide an abutment and for strengthening purposes, said edge below the recess i l and from the same to the lower edge of the partition being bent to form abutment E6 The abutment H5 is wider than the abutment l5 and triangular in cross section, the base of the triangle being disposed outermost with respect to the rear edge of the partition at this point, but inwardly with respect to the abutment l5. Secured directly opposite each other upon opposite sides of each partition iii and to the same are the hinge rod supporting links I! disposed immediately above the upper end of the abutment i ii upon which the forward free ends of said links may rest,'said free ends of links H being bent laterally from the partition and perforated to receive the hinge rod l8, non rotary, the ends thereof being secured in the side walls of the box and passing through the flanges 9 of the side strips 6. Each link ii is formed with a reduced portion forming a shoulder l9 that serves as an abutment for one of the hinge ears of an end tenant door, one of said shoulders forming an abutment for each of the hinge ears of all intermediate tenant doors to be hereinafter described.

A master door 20 is pivotally mounted to a hinge rod I8 by means of the hinge ears 2| spaced apart in pairs bent at right angles to the body of the door, the members of each pair being spaced apart by the lower edge of the door which edge portion terminates in an offset lip 22. The master door is formed, further, with lateral flanges 23 disposed at right angles to the door body, each flange being spaced from the adjacent hinge ear a distance substantially one half the distance between the adjacent hinges of successive pairs of hinges, the lower edge of the door being recessed from the flange 23 to the adjacent ear 2|. The flange 23 is widest at its point of juncture with the lower edge of the master door and tapers therefrom as it runs to the top of the door to meet the top flange 24. The flange 23 is recessed at a point 25 corresponding to the recessed portion between the flange and the adjacent hinge ear 2|, this flange recess 25 being a right angled recess to provide clearance for the tenant door, thus forming the reduced lower flange portion 26 which rides against the inner flange 9 of a side strip 6 and at its innermost end is bent outwardly or toward the box side wall to form a finger 2'! for disposal against the flange 9 in the wide open position of the door.

An arched brace bar 28 extends transversely of the upper end of the master door with its ends secured to the top flange 24 and its body portion extending rearwardly or inwardly, said brace bar when the master door is closed, being received in the recessed portions [2 of the partitions l and connected by the head end 29 of the lock base plate 39 to the master door, said lock base plate receiving the conventional government lock 3! provided for the master door. In closed position the master door is braced against the abutments 15 formed along the forward edges of the partitions Hi, the arched bar being braced by the shoulders at the inner ends of the partition recesses i2.

Tenant doors 32 each formed with hinge ears 33 engaged by the hinge rods l8 are provided for each compartment, a compartment being the space between any two adjacent partitions or between one partition and one side wall of the box, said tenant doors opening outwardly and upwardly from the bottom and being formed with lateral flanges 34 extending inwardly, the flanges 34 of successive tenant doors being contiguous in the closed position of said doors and disposed against the abutments [6; one flange of each end tenant door being then contiguous to one flange 9 of a side strip 6. The upper edge of each tenant door is recessed between its hinge ears for close association with a lip-carrying portion of the master door, the offset lip 22 of which is disposed flat against the recessed upper edge of the tenant door in the closed position of the doors while the lower edge of each tenant door is now in engagement with a pair of raised stop lugs 35 formed in the flange 9 of the bottom frame strip 8. Each tenant door is provided with a lock 36 the bolt of which is received in a perforation in the last named flange 9. As a tenant door is opened wide its offset upper edge moves into engagement with a shoulder [9 of a link IT to limit the movement of the door in one direction, and its hinge ears 33 terminally brace against the master door in the closed position of the mail box.

As the master door is moved outwardly and downwardly into wide open position the fingers 27 ride into engagement with the inner edges of the flanges 9 of the side strips to arrest further movement in that direction. In the closed position of the box it is obvious that all looks and the hinge rods are fully protected against tampering by the interfitting parts and a smooth exterior or face presented.

What is claimed is:

1. In a mail box, a body portion open at the front and including a top portion formed with a loekbolt perforation, partitions in said body portion recessed along their top edges, tenant doors for closing the lower part of said body portion, a master door for closing the upper part of said body portion, the upper edges of said tenant doors interfltting with the lower edge of said master door, a hinge rod connecting said door edges, an arched bar having its ends secured to said master door and its intermediate portion received inthe recessed portions of said partitions in one position of said master door, and a lock base plate connecting said door to said arched bar, said lock base plate being formed with a perforation for alignment with the lock-bolt perforation in said body top portion in the closed position of said master door.

2. In a mail box, a body portion open at the front and including a top portion formed with a lock bolt perforation, partitions in said body portion recessed along their top edges, tenant doors for closing the lower part of said body portion, a master door for closing the upper part of said body portion, the upper edges of said tenant doors being recessed, ears formed upon said tenant doors upon opposite sides of said recessed portions and bent inwardly with respect to said doors, the top edges of said tenant doors being offset for engagement with said master door, said master door being recessed, the lower edge of said master door being offset for engagement with the recessed portions of said tenant doors, ears formed upon said master door at the recessed portions thereof and bent inwardly into line with the ears of said tenant doors in the closed position of all doors, a hinge rod connecting all of said ears, an arched bar having its ends secured to the top corners of said master door and its intermediate portion received in the recessed portions of said partitions in the closed position of said master door, and a look base plate connecting said door to said arched bar, said lock base plate being formed with a perforation for alignment with the lock-bolt perforation in said top body portion.

SAULIA O. FLORENCE. 

